The Day Before You
by feathergirl926
Summary: Sara must come to terms with the fact that she may lose the person she has come to love the most. My first attempt at a fic.
1. Chapter 1

Obligatory disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story… too bad. I also do not own the song this story borrows its title from… that honor goes to Rascal Flatts.

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction, so we will see how this goes. Bear with me. Thanks to my beta, Nicki (aka CSIangel17). I am not entirely sure if this is formatted correctly, so if it isn't let me know so I can change it.

"In your eyes I see forever

Makes me wish that my life never knew

The day before you."

Sara glanced at the clock on the break room wall, willing time to speed up.

'Only twenty minutes to go,' she thought.

It had been a very long, slow night. Warrick had the night off, Catherine had elected to leave early, and Greg and Grissom had taken the only call of the night. That meant she and Nick had been stuck in the lab all night working on paperwork.

She glanced at the clock again. 'Eighteen minutes…'

Nick caught her glancing at the clock again from across the table.

"Thinking of Detective Vartann again, huh Sara?" Nick asked

"Shut up, Nicky, someone might hear you," Sara replied.

"And that is a bad thing, why? Everyone would be really happy for you two. He is a great guy and he obviously makes you happy. I am sure the rest of the team has noticed your change in demeanor over the last year. I know for a fact that Warrick suspects something… he just commented the other day about how happy you have been lately. He made some comment about you getting laid."

"Thank you for your support Nick. And I know the rest of the team would be just as supportive but I am just not ready for everybody to know about my relationship with him yet."

"Well, then I guess I am privileged to be the only one who knows…" Nick started to say before he was interrupted by Sara..

"The only reason you know is because you came over unannounced that day and Tony happened to wander out of my room."

"Hey, it's not my fault you forgot about our weekly movie fest. And here I thought I was your best friend," Nick said, giving her his best puppy dog look.

"Nice try, but that look is not going to work. I am immune to that look," Sara replied while attempting not to laugh.

"Whatever Sar."

Sara glanced at the clock again.

"You know, staring at the clock won't make the time go any faster, believe me, I have tried," Greg said as he entered the room.

"Shut up Greggo," Sara said. "You weren't stuck in the lab all shift; you at least got to take a case."

"Yeah, because we all know that B&Es make for the most exciting cases," he replied sarcastically.

"Better than nothing…" Sara said as she glanced at the clock yet again. "Fifteen minutes still… I swear that clock must be broken or something, there is no way…"

Sara's rant was interrupted when Grissom came running into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt but we have an officer involved shooting that needs our attention…"

"Damn, my bed was calling my name," Greg mumbled. He chose not to say anything else when he saw Grissom glaring at him.

"Why don't you fill us in on the circumstances on our way to the scene," suggested Nick.

The quartet made their way towards Grissom's Denali. Grissom and Greg hopped in the front while Sara and Nick took their seats in the back. Once they were all in the car, Grissom started to explain what he knew about the case.

"All I know is that several officers were working on a sting operation. Something to do with illegal arms dealing. The detectives weren't wearing vests because they were searched when they entered the building. Apparently something went wrong because someone opened fire," Grissom explained. "Two of the criminals were killed and two of the officers are being treated for minor injuries. Unfortunately, Detective Vartann was injured during the fight… he was shot in the chest and is being taken to Desert Palm for emergency surgery…"

Grissom continued to talk, with Greg asking questions intermittently. Neither of them noticed the sympathetic look Nick was giving Sara, or that her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Nick reached over and gave her hand a small squeeze to show his support. Thoughts of the previous evening flooded her mind.

_Sara and Vartann had just returned from a dinner at the Picasso, an upscale restaurant at the Bellagio. The evening had started out wonderfully, with Tony picking her up at 5 for drinks before heading to dinner. Sara looked beautiful in her deep green, floor-length gown. Tony didn't look too bad himself, arriving in an all black suit, with a deep green tie. _

_They enjoyed a wonderful dinner, but things started to go downhill when they spied Catherine with her latest boyfriend, and Sara insisted on hiding from her. Tony was not happy with that decision and made no attempt to hide his annoyance from his girlfriend. _

_"Dammit Tony. What the hell is your problem," Sara shouted. _

_"My problem is that my girlfriend seems to be ashamed of me!" Vartann replied trying to keep calm. _

_"Why the hell would you think that I am ashamed of you?"_

_"Because you insist on keeping our relationship a secret!" _

_"That doesn't mean that I am ashamed of you!" _

_"It sure seems that way." _

_"Why would I be ashamed of you?" _

_"I don't know! Maybe because I am just a cop…not a brilliant CSI like you and you are afraid of what the rest of your team will think, especially your precious Grissom." _

_"Not that again." Her frustration grew more and more apparent in her voice "Christ, Tony, we have been though this. I am over him. I don't care what he thinks or what the rest of the team thinks for that matter." _

_"You could have fooled me. Are you afraid of what they will say if they find out you have been dating some dumb cop for the past year?" _

_"No!" _

_"Then why do you insist on hiding our relationship from the rest of your team? God Sara, I love you, I have since we worked that case with the jazz singer's dead wife. And sometimes I think that you are actually over Grissom and that you do love me back. But then again, you have never actually said it. I didn't press the issue because I know you think people say 'I love you' without actually meaning it. But I just don't know what to think any more." _

_"I really do care for you, Tony. Things are just… well, complicated." Her voice softened as she spoke. _

_"Only because you insist on making them complicated." He looked at his watch in an attempt to avoid her gaze. "You know what, I am going to be late for a briefing on some sting operation. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Happy anniversary," he said as he handed her a small velvet box. _

_"Tony, wait!" Sara said. But it was too late; he had already slammed the door to her apartment. She just stared at the engagement ring in her hand. _

"Shit, Tony. Please be ok."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey all. Sorry about the delay. I had laser eye surgery done so looking at computers was difficult for a few days, and working at a restaurant at the mall during the holiday season keeps me busy. Anyway, I hope you like this. I know there is a part that is similar to Cropper's Sniper, but I wrote this before I read that one, I promise, ask my Beta! LOL. Speaking of my beta, thank you, Nicki! You rock.**_

_**I still own nothing…**_

Grissom, Greg, Nick, and Sara arrived at the abandoned warehouse that had been used for the sting. They immediately got to work processing the scene.

"Why are we here, exactly?" Nick asked. "I thought we knew the circumstances of what happened."

"We do… for the most part," Grissom replied smirking. "We still aren't entirely sure why the gun fight started. According to the detectives who were observing the sting, everything was going fine. I guess one of the arms dealers figured out that Vartann and the other guys were cops, and started firing. Like I said earlier, two of them were killed, but two of them got away."

"So, we need to figure out who those other two guys were?" Greg asked.

"Yes, and we need to figure out how they figured out that the detectives were in fact detectives, and not prospective buyers. I will take the interior, try to find which bullets belong to which gun, and see if I can trace one of those guns to the missing suspects. Greg, take the perimeter, see if you can find any shoe treads or anything out there." Grissom paused and turned to Nick and Sara. He saw something in Sara's eyes that he found a bit strange.

"Nick, Sara, go to the hospital and talk to Detectives Vargas and Bradley, see if they can give us any indication as to what went wrong, how those guys figured out they were cops."

"Sure thing boss. Want us to come pick you up after we are done?" Nick asked. "I mean, it is your Denali out there."

"No, I talked to Catherine a few minutes ago, she is going to meet us here after she drops Lindsay off at school, she can drive us back to the lab when we're done here," he replied.

"Alright, we'll see you back at the lab. Come on, Sar." Nick and Sara turned and walked out of the warehouse toward the Denali.

"Was it just me, or did Sara seem really quiet all night?" Greg asked in a concerned tone.

"She did. But we can't worry about that now, we have a scene to process," Grissom replied. Greg just nodded and they went to work.

After talking to the other two detectives and returning to the lab, Nick and Sara decided to take a short break and grab a bite to eat at one of the local diners down the street from the lab.

"How you holding up Sara?" Nick asked after they had placed their orders.

"I've been better," she replied. Nick could hear in her voice that she was trying to fight back tears. "I feel awful, Nick."

"It's understandable why you would be upset, but you have no reason to feel bad, Sara."

"We got into a fight last night…" she said quietly, her voice trailing off.

"Want to talk about it?" Nick asked carefully.

"It was stupid. Well, more like me being stupid."

"You going to give me more to work with here? Or am I just going to have to guess what was said?"

"It was our one year anniversary. We went out for dinner and some drinks. We were walking around the strip after dinner and we saw Catherine with her new boyfriend. Tony wasn't too happy when I insisted we walk down a different street so she wouldn't see us. We went home and started arguing. He seems to think I am ashamed of him," she said, wiping away a small tear.

"Well, are you?"

"No! What is with you guys? Why would you think I am ashamed of him?"

"Well, considering no one else from our team knows about you guys and I only found out by chance, it kind of makes one wonder. I can kind of see where Vartann would get the impression you are ashamed of him," he replied, not really giving her the answer she wanted to hear.

"I'm not. Really. I just don't want things to get complicated. I mean, a criminalist dating a detective? That might not look too good to a lot of people. I just didn't want anything to jeopardize either of our careers. But as I was saying, we argued for a bit, and then he said he loved me." Sara kept trying to hold back the tears, but it was getting more and more difficult as she told the story. "And yes, he has said that before and no, I have never said it. I just want to be sure. Using that phrase when you don't mean it can lead to a lot of problems. So after that, he says that he is going to be late for a sting operation. He tells me happy anniversary, hands me something, and walks out the door." She paused for a breath, and the tears start to fall freely. "It was an engagement ring, Nick. He was going to propose last night."

"Would you have said yes?"

"Yes," Sara said without hesitation. "Yes… I love him. Oh God, Nick. I am so stupid. I probably screwed up the best thing that has ever happened in my life."

"Go see him, Sara."

"He's still in a coma."

"Come on, you know as well as I do what they say about coma patients being able to hear. And even if he can't, I think it would help you to get things off your chest."

"I suppose you're right," Sara said as she tried to gain her composure.

"I always am," Nick replied giving her a wink. "Now go, I will figure out what to tell the guys."

"You know what, I really don't care what you tell them. I am tired of hiding my feelings for him. I'll see you later," she said walking away.

"See you later."

"Oh, and Nick?" She turned around to face him.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Making me realize what my heart already knew," she said, a slight smile forming.

"What are friends for? Now go on! I will take care of the bill!"

Sara gave him a grateful smile as she ran out the door. Nick sighed as he watched her make her way to the lab to get her car. Nick really hoped things would work out for the couple… Vartann was good for Sara.

After calling Tony's parents to make sure they had heard, Sara arrived at the hospital and made her way to the ICU.

"Excuse me," she said to the woman at the desk. "I am looking for Detective Tony Vartann. Could you tell me what room he is in?"

"Are you his family?" the nurse asked skeptically.

"No. I'm his, um, fiancé. Look, I know the policy, but please, I have to see him. His parents are in New York and they won't be here until tomorrow, someone should be in there with him until they arrive," Sara said as the tears started to flow again.

The nurse couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl standing in front of her.

"I really shouldn't, but he is in room 213... Straight down the hall, second to last door on the right."

"Thank you, thank you so much."

Sara entered the room and took a seat by the bed.

"Hey, handsome," she said as she took his hand in her own. "God, Tony, you have to make it through this. We obviously have a lot to talk about. I guess now is a good time for me to get some practice. Um, shit, I have no idea what to say. I don't even know if you can hear me. But baby, I am so sorry. Contrary to what you think, I am NOT ashamed of you. Like I told Nick earlier, a detective dating a CSI would probably not go over too well with anyone, especially your supervisors. I just didn't want to screw up any career possibilities for either of us, especially with that promotion you are being considered for. God, that seems so stupid now. We could have figured something out. I would have said yes, by the way. I will say yes if you give me another chance when this is all over. And you were right, I have never said those three words to you. Again, I was just being a coward. We've both been burned by people who have told us that in the past, and I just wanted to be sure." She then paused for a breath and to regain her composure again.

"And now I am. I love you, Tony. So damn much. I don't know when I started to love you, but I guess I have for a while. I still can't believe we have been together for a year," Sara said with a light smile, as she remembered her first date with Tony.

_Sara glanced at the clock on her wall. 5:25. Five more minutes until her date arrived. She had picked out red dress that, while longer in the back, was angled and shorter in the front, and showed off her long legs. The red heels she had chosen accented her legs even more. It had been a while since her last date, and she hoped her date would appreciate the outfit. Just then, she heard a soft knock on her door. _

_She opened the door to find a very nervous Detective Vartann. _

_"Hi, Tony," she said quietly. _

_"Hi, Sara," he replied as he entered. "You look stunning." _

_"You look pretty good yourself," Sara said with a smile as she grabbed her jacket off the rack in the hall. 'That's an understatement,' she thought. He had on a gray pants and a deep blue shirt that accented his eyes wonderfully. _

_"Oh, these are for you," Vartann said as he handed her a bouquet of flowers. _

_"Aw, thank you, Tony. Come on in. Let me just put these in some water and then we can go." She walked into her kitchen to grab a vase. "So, where are we going tonight?" _

_"You'll see when we get there," he said coyly. _

_"I don't like surprises," she said with a pout, hoping he would tell her. _

_"Not going to work, beautiful, but nice try," he said with a wink. He noticed that she had stopped moving and was just staring at him. "What? Did I say something wrong? I can tell you if it means that much to you…" _

_"You just called me beautiful… none of my dates or boyfriends have ever called me that." _

_"Well, they are idiots. Now come on, beautiful, otherwise we are going to be late for our reservations. And no, I still won't tell you." _

_"Alright, I guess I can wait, handsome," Sara replied with a smile as she grabbed her coat off the rack by the door. _

_Half an hour later, Sara and Vartann arrived at the Venetian and were walking down the Grand Canal Shoppes. When they reached Wolfgang Puck's Postrio, Tony stopped and opened the door for her. _

_"We are eating here? Tony, this place is expensive, you shouldn't have." _

_"Nonsense. You deserve the best. Besides, I have heard they have some great meatless dishes," he said with a wink as he approached the maitre d'. "Hello, I have reservations for two under Vartann." _

_"Let me see," the man said. "Oh yes, here it is. If you will follow me I will show you to your table." _

_He escorted them to a table and told them to enjoy their evening, his eyes lingering on Sara a bit. Vartann scowled as the man walked away. _

_"What?" Sara asked. _

_"He was so checking you out," Vartann replied scowling a little. _

_"Aw, are we a little jealous?" Sara said with a slight laugh. _

_Her laugh was infectious. "I guess it is just something I should get used to if I am going to be out with such a beautiful woman." _

_"Flirt." _

_"No, just honest. Oh, here comes our waiter. I hope it's okay, but I took the liberty of pre-ordering some wine for us," Tony said as Sara just smiled at him. _

_"Here is your merlot sir, falesco 'montiano' lazio," the waiter said as he poured a glass for Vartann to taste. "Shall I give you another minute to look over our menu?" _

_"Yes, thank you," Vartann said politely. The couple sipped their wine as they looked over their menus. _

_A few minutes later, the waiter reappeared to take their order. They talked comfortably throughout their meal. _

_After dinner, Vartann and Sara walked around the Shoppes for a little while. Vartann glanced at his watch. _

_"It's 8:30, we should get moving so we can find our seats," he said, as placed his hand on Sara's back to guide her to their next destination. She looked at him curiously. "You will see in a few minutes." _

_Sara was surprised when they arrived at the theater that housed the Las Vegas version of "Phantom of the Opera. She was even more surprised when the usher escorted them to their seats in the orchestra section. After the show, Tony took Sara back to her apartment and walked her to her door. _

_"Geez, Tony, you really outdid yourself tonight. First dinner and then the show. You didn't have to do this, you know?" _

_"I know, but I wanted to. I wanted our first date to be one you would remember… first date, am I being too confident using that word? Maybe I should just say date… unless you are having as much fun as I am and will agree to a second date?" Tony asked nervously. _

_Sara smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. _

_"I had an amazing time. There will definitely be a second date. And hopefully a third and fourth. But next time, you don't have to go through all that trouble. Let's just do something casual, okay?" _

_"Sure thing. I'll call you tomorrow. Okay?" _

_"You better." _

_"Good night, beautiful," he said as he shyly kissed her cheek. _

_"Good night, handsome," Sara replied as she pulled him for a scorching kiss. A minute later she broke apart from him and opened her door. "Don't forget to call me tomorrow." And with a quick wink, she closed the door behind her. _

As Brass walked into Vartann's hospital room, he noticed a figure next to the bed. He walked into the room a bit further to get a closer look, and smiled to himself as he noticed that the figure was Sara, who was holding the detective's hand and sleeping in the chair next to him. Brass turned to leave the room… he would come by the next day.

_**Like it, hate it? Review please. I will try and get the next part written soon, when I am not at work or studying for the GRE… damned higher education.**_


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